Saudi Arabia Lands New ATP Masters Event

Saudi Arabia will host a new ATP Masters 1000 tournament starting in 2028, marking the first expansion of the category in its 35-year history. The event will make the Kingdom the 10th host of a Masters 1000 alongside long-established stops such as Indian Wells, Miami and Paris.

The new tournament is being organised by PIF-owned SURJ Sports Investment in partnership with the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and is intended to take place on outdoor hard courts, featuring a 56-player draw and operating under a one-week format. What makes the move particularly significant is that the Masters 1000 category has remained unchanged since the early 1990s, underscoring the scale of Saudi Arabia’s investment and ambition.

Operationally and commercially, the deal speaks to multiple strategic layers. First, hosting a high-tier tournament allows Saudi Arabia to secure long-term ownership of a premium sports asset rather than serving as a transient event host. This aligns with PIF’s shift from renting rights to owning them. Second, the deal bolsters the commercial infrastructure around tennis: broadcast, media rights, sponsorship, hospitality and ancillary activities all gain fresh impetus in a market where Saudi is already hosting the WTA Finals in Riyadh and the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah. Third, the platform supports grassroots and talent-development ambitions: the agreement includes a nationwide programme developed with the Saudi Tennis Federation to promote inclusivity, access and talent pipeline growth.

From the lens of hosting capability, the announcement conveys a strong vote of confidence in Saudi Arabia’s capacity for large-scale event delivery. It also signals that the nation believes it has reached a maturity threshold in sport operations – venues, logistics, athlete services and fan experience – sufficient to anchor a premium global tournament. The commercial sector will be watching closely to see how sponsorship, rights valuations and local market activation evolve in this context.

Of course, the investment carries risk: the crowded tennis calendar raises questions about player commitment, scheduling integration and long-term audience growth; regional infrastructure must convert to a sustainable legacy; and the tournament must deliver consistent commercial returns. But for Saudi Arabia the move is not incremental – it is a statement. It tells both global sport and capital markets that the Kingdom intends to build structural, long-term capability in hosting world-class sport, and that tennis is now a meaningful part of that blueprint.